Low molecular weight, low-viscosity acrylate esters are commonly employed as photoreactive diluents in solventless U.V. curable formulations for coatings, inks, adhesives, etc. Photoreactive diluents of choice are often low-viscosity hydroxy-acrylates, such as hydroxyethyl acrylate and hydroxypropyl acrylate. While such hydroxy-acrylates reduce the viscosities of coating and ink formulations, they also reduce their rate of cure and tend to yield soft coatings. In addition, the high volatility and high toxicities of these hydroxy-acrylates preclude their use in many applications.
It is an object of this invention to find a class of modified acrylates whereby the desirable low viscosity is retained while the cited disadvantages are avoided or minimized.